Improvement in horse hay-porks



MIM-

ABRAHAM W. LOZIER, OF NEW, YORK, N. Y.

Letters Patent No. 84,559, dated December 1, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE HAY-FORKS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all who n it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM W. homes, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hay-ElevatingForks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description, thereof, reference being bad to theaccompanyingdrawings, and the figures and lettors of reference thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view of the fork, with itsseveral parts shown in position, when being raised with a load.

Figure 2 is a side view of the tork, showing the manner in which it isoperated to seize its load.

Figure3 is a view of the same closed, when not required for use.

Figure 4 is a top view of the same.

Similar letters of refisrence indicate like parts in the severaldrawings.

In the construction of hay-elevating forks, so far as my knowledgeextends, so :cral defects exist,which are objectionable in their generaluse. These defects eonsist, especially when the forks are'coustructodafter the manner ofgrappling-tongs, in their being so eimstruoted that aconsiderable space above the load is taken up by the arms, 850., towhich the hoisting-rope is attached, so that the load cannot be guidedclose to the beams to be discharged, in their being di'tiieult andawkward to handle in the operations of loading and discharging the load,and in their being bulky and unwieldy in transportation. p

The object of my invention is to so construct aml arrange ahay-elevating fork that it may be easily operated in loading andunloading; that shall grasp and retain its load firmly; that can bereadily adjusted to take diiferent-sizcd loads, so that it may be workedwith one or two-horse power; that can be elevated close to the beams ofthe barn, and may also be folded into a small compass for transportationor storage.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willdescribe its construction, and the manner of operating it.

To the barA are secured, by pivots a c), the two curved tines B l), andthe straight tine O. The two former, when in use, archeld rigidly inplace on the bar by the screws I) (I. The third tine is retained inplace, while the fork is being clevatwl, by the springcatch E.

This catch, formed of the curved lover l is pivoted to the barAby thescrew 0, and its lower end is turned up, to form a ledge, 71., on whichthe end of the tine G rests. It is held against a small stop, 1, on thebar by the spring so that its ledge le'is hold in proper positionbeneath the end of the tine, and is o 'ieratcd by the cord.I,.secured toits upper end.

'Tina-iirst tine, B, is constructed of a curved form, its in i 1er edgeforming an arc of a circle, having its plate G, to secure this plate tothis threat any desired.

distance from its point.

This plate acts as a gauge, .to regulate the quantity of bay to be takenup by the fork at any one time, and this it does by preventing the tineD from entering the hay farther than the point, atwhiclr it is adjusted.

The third tine, O, is formed of a straight blade, turning on the pivotf, and curved at its upper end, as

plainly shown in the drawings. Its point is bevelled. on both sides,seas to allowit to enter the hay with facility.

The lever orhandle. E; which is used in the operation of loading thefork, is attached by the pivot a to the back of the bar A, and is heldin place along the side of the bar by the stopofwhich acts also as afulcrum for the end of the lever;

The hoisting-rope H is secured to the bar at d, and, when properlyattached, the several parts of the fork, when it is elevated, are inequilibrium, so that the top of the bar will rise in a horizontalposition.

This construction permits the fork to be raised close up to thepullcy-block, when necessary.

The fork will be used and operated as follows:

The two tines, B D, are first secured in place on the bar by the screws7) d," and the plate G is adjusted on the tine D, to regulate thequantity of hay to be seized by the fork. This 'quantity is governed bythe power to be used in working the fork. If but one horse is used, theplate is'adjusted nearer the point of the tine, while, if more power isto be used, the gauge is set further from the point. The hoist-rope H isthen secured to the fork, and the power is applied to the same throughthe medium of a pulley-block or other means that may answer. v

The tine 0, being released from the catch E, and opened outwards, itspoint is thrust into the load or cook of hay, and forced down into it bythe operator placing his foot on the pivot j; which is made longer thanthe others for this purpose, and throwing his weight thereon. The handleF is then grasped by the operator, and raised up until it is arrested bythe pin 0, and the other tines are forced into the hay by a forwardmovement of the handle.

The construction of these tines sufi'ers them to enter the hay with butlittle obstruction, their inner edges being arcs of circles, which havetheir centres at the pivot j; about which, as a centre, the bar A turns.

The downward pressure of the tines into the hay is continued, until thecatch E is thrown under the curved end of the tine C, and the fork isthen ready to be drawn up with its load.

On being elevated to the place Where the hay is to be deposited, theload is discharged by the operator pulling the catch E from under theend of the tine O, by means of the cord Ii 'The weight of the loadpressing on the end of thetine then throws it back, and

the hay drops from the fork.

The fork is then lowered, and the operation of loading repeated.

Having thus fully described my invention,

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, is--- 1. Thecombination and arrangement, with the bar A and rigid tine B, of themovable tine C and trippinglever E, the whole constructed and operatingsubstantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The horizontal bar A, rigid time B, movable tine 0, andtripping-lever E, in combination with the leverhandle F, the wholeconstructed and operating substantially as described.

3'. The combination of'thc bar A. and tines B and C with thesupplementary tine D, for holding the load of hay with greater security,substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

4. So constructing the supplementarytine D that it maybe used as a gaugefor taking up the desired quantity of hay, substantially as describedand specified.

5. The projecting pivot f, in combination with the tine O and bar A,substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

ABRAHAM W. LOZIEB.

Witnesses O. A. DURGIN, EDWARD E. OsBORN.

